<!DOCTYPE html>
<html>
<head>
<meta charset="UTF-8">
<title>Light From Shadow by transmarkcohen</title>
<style type="text/css">

body { background-color: #ffffff; }
.CI {
text-align:center;
margin-top:0px;
margin-bottom:0px;
padding:0px;
}
.center   {text-align: center;}
.cover    {text-align: center;}
.full     {width: 100%; }
.quarter  {width: 25%; }
.smcap    {font-variant: small-caps;}
.u        {text-decoration: underline;}
.bold     {font-weight: bold;}
</style>
</head>
<body>
<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25176685">Light From Shadow</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmarkcohen/pseuds/transmarkcohen'>transmarkcohen</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Rent - Larson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>F/F, F/M, Gay, Lesbian, M/M, Pregnancy, Trans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-07-10</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-07-09</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 06:48:45</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Explicit</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>723</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25176685</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/transmarkcohen/pseuds/transmarkcohen</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>A while back, April and Mark hooked up. That wasn't the precursor to these events, but now? It definitely feels like that was just the beginning.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>3</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Light From Shadow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/anothergayrentfan/gifts">anothergayrentfan</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Mark groaned. The sun was up and from where he lay in bed, it streamed in through the window so piercingly that he couldn’t open his eyes even if he’d tried. Besides, they were still thick with the weight of sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He noticed that the bed felt emptier. Light. That was when Maureen came back in with a glass of water. Mark managed to turn around and open his eyes - Maureen’s dark hair cascaded down her shoulders and back, and she came over to his side of the bed. She kissed him and set the water down on a nightstand. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Morning, Pookie,” she said.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maureen…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know, I know. Force of habit. Sorry.” She climbed into bed and studied him, her piercing gaze practically seeing inside his soul. “How are you?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He threw an arm over his face in an attempt to block out the sun. “I feel like shit.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, probably. I can’t imagine…” She trailed off, thinking. Drifting into space. “Roger left earlier.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, yeah, probably to continue shooting up heroin.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mark, stop. You know he’s trying.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark put his arm down and looked at Maureen. “He’ll never be able to quit when he’s with April.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maureen averted her gaze. She knew he was right. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mark was up now, and he knew he wouldn’t be able to fall asleep again. He traced his body, resting his hand on his stomach. Maureen watched as he did so, wondering if she should get dressed - and what she could possibly say to alleviate the situation. </span>
  <em>
    <span>His </span>
  </em>
  <span>situation. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Well, it certainly wasn’t hers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know what you’re thinking,” Mark said suddenly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Maureen feigned surprise, as if they didn’t know each other well enough that they could nearly read each other’s minds. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“C’mon, Maureen. Don’t play dumb.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t mean to.” She began to play with his hair, a forgetful, affectionate gesture. “I know this must be hard on you. Especially with your mom-“ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t talk about my mom.” Mark interrupted her sharply, his voice harsh. She didn’t blame him. Mark’s mom was...too religious for many of their tastes. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Of course, some of them were religious. Roger was, secretly, though they knew he prayed. Collins believed in...whatever the fuck he believed, though he condemned organized religion. (The other reason they knew about Roger - he glared at Collins whenever he did this.)  Mark, despite his mom, was still Jewish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maureen knew better than to apologize to that. Instead, she got out of bed, and began to get dressed. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Roger </span>
  <em>
    <span>was </span>
  </em>
  <span>shooting up. Mark had been right. Even if he was being shitty, he was </span>
  <em>
    <span>right. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And he was with April. How Mark could say something so wrong and still be right - that was a mystery all in itself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Roger wondered what April was thinking as he passed her the needle. She plunged it into her arm and thought, </span>
  <em>
    <span>Fuck. </span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Roger concentrated on April’s hair as the high hit him. Red. It was red as a fiery sunset. And she had freckles splashed across the entirety of her face - Roger had always loved them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>April was not thinking about her freckles. She was thinking about Mark, and what she knew. She had </span>
  <em>
    <span>seen </span>
  </em>
  <span>him in the bathroom - had seen - </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She plunged her lips onto Roger’s to stop her train of thoughts. Willing, eagerly, and high off his ass, he kissed back. April took her shirt off, desperate for sex and an orgasm and to take her mind off Mark. He climbed on top of her, joining in a frenzy of tearing clothes off, and soon he was in, in, in. He was in her and she could feel him moving but it hadn’t hit yet and the heroin </span>
  <em>
    <span>had </span>
  </em>
  <span>hit, and she pulled him closer, and dug her nails into his back and he gasped because she scraped him but it was kinda hot, and he was pushing pushing pushing and she was pulling and they were moving together, moving, moving, moving, and soon it was over and it was too soon and they were gasping and they fell onto the ground together and it was cold and hard and she was sweating. Her hair was stuck to her face and the needle was on the ground. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I love you,” he said. “I love you to heaven and back.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She was too tired to respond. </span>
</p>
  </div></div>
</body>
</html>